Revelations
by Bekita
Summary: Khan is curious. Kirk comes back from the dead. Interesting things occur.
1. Chapter 1

"SPOOOCK! Spock… STOP! STOOOOP!" Uhura cried desperately, as Spock continued beating the shit out of the man who he held responsible for his best friend's death.

"He's our only chance to save Kirk!"

At that, Spock ceased hitting him and looked up at Uhura, trying to comprehend what he had just heard. He glanced back down at Khan, who looked like he was hanging onto consciousness by a thread. That there was a chance the man beneath him could somehow bring his Captain back, made him quickly shove down the urge to pummel him to a pulp… but that didn't stop him from pulling his fist back and knocking him out cold.

xxx

The first thing Khan heard when he regained consciousness were muffled voices floating above him. He then became aware of a cold hand wrapping around his arm and pressing something sharp into it. Confused and startled, his reflexes instantly kicked in. All at once, his eyes shot open as he pulled his arm back, snapping restraints in the process… and with all the strength he could manage, he ripped himself away from the hard table which had been holding him down and looked around, frantically trying to assess the situation.

There were surprised screams and foul language, as the two men who had been attempting to draw blood from the previously unconscious… now awakened… wild superhuman, hastily got their asses out of the room.

Khan observed his surroundings. He was back in the Enterprise's brig, once again… staring out through the transparent barrier at a bunch of angry, frightened-looking humans in uniforms. They were hustling and bustling around like lost puppies searching for their mothers. Pathetic.

Should he take his time? Kill them all slowly, watching them writhe in sweet agony and pain? Or should he just go ahead and destroy them all in one fell swoop? After all he'd gone through attempting to save his people… just to have them destroyed in a matter of seconds… there was nothing else on his agenda anymore, other than to slaughter anyone who crossed his path.

Bones had only been able to draw a few drops of the homicidal maniac's blood, before the man had gone ape shit on them, and he'd had to retreat. Dammit, every second was precious to saving Kirk! He needed that blood and he needed it fast. But how was he going to get it without losing someone else in the process? Gesturing for two of the crew members, who were carrying tranquilizer guns, to get ready to shoot on command… he locked eyes with Khan and spoke.

"Listen here, you no good piece of murdering shit, either you cooperate or we will make you. Those are your only options."

He placed the same device he'd previously used when they had captured Khan, on the window. It opened up a hole for him to place his arm through.

Khan stared down the doctor with pure hatred in his heart, not moving an inch. He knew they couldn't force him to comply anymore. He was done playing around. This time, he had no doubts that he would win. Any plan which they could have possibly contrived to get him to cooperate with them would utterly fail and end in their demise. But it was kind of amusing to see them so confident in their abilities. He smirked. This was going to be too much fun.

McCoy turned and looked at Spock, who had also been in the room with the doctor, and who had also logically chosen to flee the room when Khan had woken up. Spock was strong, but he hadn't wanted to test his strength… yet again… against a deranged, adrenaline pumped, genetically altered being… when he could just leave the room and save his energy.

"Spock, do you think you can knock him out again?" Bones asked quietly, not trusting Khan not to hear him.

"I have no doubt that I can, Doctor, but I'm certain it will take up an extensive amount of time, as his strength will be magnified based on the fact that he currently has nothing left to lose."

"Well… we WILL lose Kirk, if I can't get his blood!" McCoy growled out in frustration, forgetting to keep his voice down.

Khan, who had been listening to the whole exchange, perked up when he heard this revelation. Something had happened to the Captain?

"Keep it down, Doctor," Sulu warned him, nodding to the man behind the window, whose eyebrows had risen with McCoy's outburst.

"Am I correct in assuming that your Captain has been fatally wounded?" Khan spoke up, his deep voice penetrating the ears of every crew member in the room.

Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Sulu, and the rest all looked his way, revealing the truth to him with their eyes.

Oh yes, he was definitely correct in his assumption… the pain was clearly written all over their faces. Yet strangely enough, this information did not bring him any feelings of satisfaction or pleasure whatsoever. Shouldn't it have?

In fact, he was feeling something inside of himself that he couldn't recall ever feeling before. Which threw him off completely… because this brand new feeling spreading throughout his chest was doing a thorough job of dissolving his red hot rage; and what was he supposed to do without his blind anger to keep him going? He was utterly bewildered and upset.

"Why do you assume that?" Spock asked curiously, keeping his emotions in check so as not to give anything away.

Khan promptly collected himself… pushing down those damned unsettling emotions which were rapidly expanding within… and gave Spock an answer.

"Well, why else would you need my blood, if your Captain wasn't indeed dead? I'm well aware of the healing, and in some cases, resurrecting properties of my own blood."

Sulu stepped up. "Yes, Captain Kirk is dead, and we need your blood to revive him," he told him, giving Khan a look which said, I dare you to show any sign that you are happy about the Captain's death.

For a minute, no one spoke or moved… they all just stared at one another… everyone wondering what was going to happen next. Would they need to fight? Would Khan escape? Would they have to live in a world without Jim Kirk for the rest of their lives?

Suddenly, Khan narrowed his eyes and walked over to where the hole in the window had been positioned. He pulled up his sleeve, sighed, and stuck his arm through. His expression was blank and he stared straight ahead at nothing in particular.

Doctor McCoy didn't believe for one minute that this madman was being helpful. He was definitely playing at something. But he really didn't care what Khan's motives were, at the moment… his only priority was extracting his blood and getting it back to Kirk, just in case there was a chance he could save his friend's life. Kirk was absolutely worth risking whatever Khan had in mind.

McCoy quickly glanced at the others, who wore equally untrusting looks on their faces, and without further hesitation went over to retrieve the precious fluid from the man's veins.

Khan just stood there, passive and unmoving, fully allowing the doctor to take all he needed. He still wanted to kill them, of course, but for some reason he was curious about seeing Kirk again. And he couldn't do that without keeping the crew around for a little while longer, now could he? That was the only... the ONLY reason that they were still alive.


	2. Chapter 2

2 Weeks Later:

A tunnel. It looked like he was going through a tunnel… made of beautiful rainbow colored lights… and at warp speed no less. This was really freakin fantastic! But how had he gotten here? He couldn't quite remember. And as Jim Kirk was speedily zooming through this colorful, luminescent, sparkly light-way, he started hearing familiar voices coming at him from all angles. Ok, this was getting interesting. He tried to focus on them and found that one voice in particular began to stand out from amongst the rest. It was Admiral Pike's, he recognized.

"…he saved eight-hundred lives… I dare you to do better," Pike was saying to him.

Suddenly, a door opened with a loud 'whoosh' and Kirk woke up with a start, not sure where he was or what the hell was going on. His heart was pounding a million beats per second. Looking around, his eyes tried to adjust themselves to the artificial brightness that seemed to be engulfing him.

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic. You were barely dead," said Bones, who was in the process of scanning the side of his head with some kind of medical device.

Wait, what was Bones doing there? Bones was doctoring him for some reason…

"It was the Transfusion that really took its toll. You've been out cold for two weeks."

"Transfusion?" Jim asked, totally confused.

"Your cells were heavily irradiated, we had no choice," he told him, placing a different scanning apparatus on his chest.

All of a sudden, the memories of what had previously occurred hit him like a phaser beam... John Harrison killing Admiral Pike, Admiral Marcus sending Kirk and his crew off on a death mission to start a war, Khan crushing Marcus' skull, Spock exploding the torpedoes, the ship plummeting to earth, kicking the core housing into alignment… oh shit, poor Scotty! …seeing Spock shedding tears as he lay there dying from the radiation, feeling his life slowly slipping away… But how could a transfusion help bring him back to li...

"Khan?" he asked, remembering the test Bones had been doing with the dead tribble.

"Once we caught him, I synthesized a serum from his super blood. Tell me, are you feeling homicidal, power mad, despotic?"

"No more than usual," Kirk said, still trying to process everything. "How'd you catch him?"

"I didn't," Bones said, walking around to the other side of the bed.

At that moment, Spock stepped forward, and Kirk's heart was instantly overwhelmed with so many emotions at once. Love being the most obvious one. Spock was a very difficult, stubborn, frustrating person to be around at times… and yet, he was certainly one of the most endearing beings Jim had ever known. And he was so grateful to have him as a friend.

"You saved my life," Kirk said, smiling at Spock with gratitude in his eyes.

"Uhura and I had something to do with it, too, you know," Bones spoke up from beside him.

Ah… what would he do without his Bones? Yeah, he loved that son of a bitch, too.

"You saved my life Captain, and the lives of…" Spock started to say.

"Spock…" Kirk interrupted, "Just… Thank you."

There was a slight pause.

"You are welcome, Jim," Spock finally said.

Kirk knew his friend had a hard time when it came to emotions being channeled in his direction, so sometimes he just had to force the man to take his due credit.

He also figured that there were a lot more people involved in saving him, and he would definitely make sure he got to thank them, eventually, as well. As confused as he still was about everything, it was nice to feel like he meant something to others. Like they truly cared about and loved him.

"Sooo… am I going to be a super human now, Bones?" Kirk asked, suddenly extremely curious about how the transfusion thing worked.

How could someone's blood raise the dead? Especially, blood that had been in a freezer for three hundred years. That seemed like it was bordering on the impossible. And would he have any major lasting side-effects from it? Would he turn into a Khan, also? Would it be like the werewolf stories he used to read about as a kid? Oh shit, was he going to start developing a crazed bloodlust for all life forms now? Should he be locked up before it was too late… Bones started speaking, putting a halt to the downward spiral of craziness that his thoughts were rapidly falling into.

"I honestly don't know, Jim. It's not every day that I use a thawed out, murderous psychopath's blood to bring someone back from the dead. Yeah, I've got to say this is a first." He was scanning something down Kirk's leg, now.

"I have been conducting extensive research into Khan's past for any information which could possibly lead us to becoming more knowledgeable concerning this matter," Spock told him. "And as much as Dr. McCoy does not like me to do this, I am afraid that this is another instance where I will have to concur with him. I honestly do not know how this procedure will affect you in the days to come."

Bones walked over to a counter and laid a device down on top of it, then turned to face Kirk. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"Well, that's comforting," Kirk said, smiling. "Hey, I'll be disappointed if I don't see at least a little super strength from it. I'd love to have half a fighting chance with Spock."

"Sir, I would advise that you do not get your hopes up, as they say," Spock said.

Kirk laughed. Then, he let out a groan as the room suddenly started spinning. He closed his eyes, trying to stop the dizziness. "Ugh, man…"

"What, what's wrong?" Bones was at his side instantly, feeling his head for fever.

"Doctor, his color is growing pale," Spock offered.

"Thanks, Spock, I can see that. I think you need to rest some more, Jim. You look like a man who's just been woken from the dead."

Kirk smirked and sighed. He was really beginning to feel tired. Rest sounded like a wonderful plan actually. He opened his eyes halfway and met Spock's.

"I'll see you in a bit, alright?"

"It is really good to have you back, Jim," he heard Spock say, as sleep began to wash over him like a cozy warm blanket.

Bones looked over at Spock. They didn't have to say anything. The relief and joy they both felt at having their Captain and friend back was palpable in the air they were breathing.

"Have you made him aware of Khan's presence aboard the ship, yet?" Spock asked.

"No, didn't have time. Plus, I'm not sure he needs to know about that right now," he told him, going over to Jim and pulling up his bedcovers to keep him from getting chilled.

"Doctor, do you not find it odd that Khan has agreed to cooperate with us as long as he can talk with the Captain once his health is restored?"

McCoy started putting his instruments back in their designated spots and began straightening up around the room. "I find it a bit more than odd," he said, shaking his head. "I don't know what that maniac is thinking about doing, but I do know that it would be awful stupid of him to have us resurrect Kirk with his own blood, just so he can turn around and kill him again."

Spock nodded. "Yes, that seems highly illogical."

"I don't know what he wants," McCoy said, "But I'm sure none of us are going to like it."


	3. Chapter 3

When Jim Kirk woke up for the second time, he was alone in the medic room. All was quiet, save for the soft humming and beeping of the medical equipment that surrounded him. The lights had been dimmed considerably and although he had no idea what time it was, he ventured to guess it was nighttime... or maybe really early in the morning.

He sighed and slowly brought his arms up to stretch them out. Damn, that felt amazing. He then proceeded to stretch out every muscle in his entire body, hearing his bones cracking and popping in the process. For some strange reason a picture of a stretching cat popped into his head and he had to mentally agree with the cat that yes, stretching was pure ecstasy.

After loosening up his muscles, which made him feel a lot better, Kirk decided to just lay there and let his mind wonder a bit.

He wondered about how his friends were doing and if they had all survived… well, at least he knew Spock and Bones were still alive, thank god. Hopefully, Sulu, Uhura, Scotty, and the rest of the gang were still breathing and kicking, as well. He didn't know what he would do if he lost any of them. They were the closest thing he had ever had to a family.

He wondered about how his ship was doing. If it was going to be a long while before she was repaired and back to her normal self. Would he ever get to fly her again, after all that had taken place? God, he really hoped so. He couldn't see himself going back to normal civilian life after everything he had experienced. If having to give up Starfleet and be a normal person was what was in store for his life, he honestly would have rather remained dead.

Wait, shit… that's right! He had died. Holy shit, he had actually died! The magnitude of that realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

He had always been the type who enjoyed flirting with the edge… ever since he could remember. The rush, the adrenaline, the not knowing whether he was going to make it or not. It was intoxicating to him, better than any drug he could think of. But up until now, he had always managed to avoid falling off. He couldn't say that anymore, though. No, he had definitely taken the plunge head first into darkness. Trouble was he was having difficulty recalling what it was like to be dead. And he didn't know why.

What he _could_ remember was being in a town, a town that had been lit up with yellow lights. And he could remember talking to people… maybe over a pint of beer. Had he been at a bar? Was _heaven_ a bar? How awesome would that be!? Wait, no, that didn't make sense.

He could vaguely bring to mind having a conversation with a man who hadn't been much older than himself, and who he thought might have resemble himself a bit. There was always the possibility that the man could've been his father, but he had no way of knowing for sure. It seemed like the more he struggled to remember anything, the quicker the memories seemed to fade away. Almost as if his whole death experience had been a dream.

Kirk rubbed his eyes, yawned, and stretched his arms again. He entertained the thought of going back to sleep, but his mind was now charged up and running on full power, so he doubted sleep would come easy to him. He sat up in the bed and took a good look around. Was he still on the ship? Did the ship have private medic rooms? Yeah, he would probably need to start paying more attention to details from now on.

He threw off his covers and then turned his body so that he could hang his legs off the side of the bed. Humming a random tune that he'd just made up on the spot, he swung his legs back and forth and sat there thinking.

It only took a few minutes of sitting there in the quiet stillness of that room for him to realize just how tired he was of simply sitting there and thinking. What else could he do, though?

"Ugh, I'm so bored!" he complained to the machine with all the blinking numbers and lights against the wall.

He wanted answers, but there was nobody around to give him any. Hell, he didn't even really need answers as much as he just wanted someone to talk to. Boredom was almost a fate worse than death for Kirk. Maybe if he got up and started moving around, Bones would detect a disturbance and come find him. Or maybe he could go for a walk and find someone to talk to along the way? That was a good idea. He was sure his legs could use some exercise after two weeks of being in that damned bed.

Okay, he had definitely made up his mind. So he scooted up to the edge of the mattress and placed his feet on the ground. Oh dear god, that was cold. Pushing himself off of the bed, he promptly took one step and fell over.

"Owww," he groaned from the floor.

Maybe walking wasn't such a good idea after all. Shit, his medic gown had come open and his ass was being attacked by a terrible draft.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered, as he tried to lift himself back up.

After a few minutes of embarrassing awkwardness, Kirk was finally able to maintain his balance and stand up straight. He quickly re-tied his gown in the back, so that the freezing cold air was no longer invading his cheeks. Damn, he was glad no one had been around to see that.

Carefully, he took a step forward, holding onto to a countertop for support. Then, he took another step, and another, feeling stronger and stronger with each leg movement. Finally, he felt sturdy enough to let go of the counter and venture forth on his own. Sheesh, he felt like a toddler learning how to walk, this was ridiculous.

"Remind me never to die again," he told himself.

He opened the door and peered out into the ship's massive Medic Bay. Yep, he was still on the ship. And all was relatively quiet out there, also. Was _anyone_ onboard awake right now? Ah well, he figured he would find out soon enough. Bones would probably be pissed, but hey, a guy needs his freedom every once in a while. Can't just coop a man up and not expect him to try and escape.

xxx

Khan was lying down on a small bed, his feet hanging off the edge. They weren't very keen on coddling their prisoners here, apparently. A food tray with some sort of white mushy concoction lay untouched over in the floor across from him. It was quite convenient that he didn't need to eat to survive.

For two weeks he had been holed up in the brig, waiting… thinking… plotting… and pondering. At his request, they had given him a deck of cards and some old Earth history books. These novelties had kept him fairly occupied while he had been waiting, and he also had known that it would make the security guards feel more at ease seeing him busy with something, instead of him just sitting there staring off into space.

The whole time he had been there, his behavior had remained perfectly cooperative and acceptable, which he knew was extremely frustrating to Kirk's people. A definite bonus, that. Of course, it had helped that he was a patient man and that he didn't seem to be affected by the restlessness that most humans usually succumbed to after being confined in a cell for so long.

And since he had been behaving so well, he had noticed that the security had begun to slack off a bit, and that less and less of the crew were coming by to check on him each day. If he wanted to, he could just escape right now and no one would be the wiser.

The night watchman had gone out to get some coffee… or so he had said… but Khan had no problem deducing what _getting coffee_ had actually meant. He had seen that young nurse visiting the guard on several occasions. Ugh, humans were so predictable.

Yes, it was true that he could leave whenever he wanted, but luckily for them, he wasn't wanting to just yet. A certain strong curiosity had gripped his being with an immeasurable force, and he knew there was only one way for it to be quelled.

Suddenly, he heard a hatch open up nearby. Well, that hadn't taken long. Poor girl... he almost felt sorry for her.

Khan sat up to confirm his suspicions about the security guard, and instead he found himself staring directly into the royal blue eyes of the Captain of the Enterprise himself.

"Kirk, how lovely to see you again," Khan said without hesitation, bringing his mouth up into a wry grin. What a delightful turn of events _this_ was.

Kirk was temporarily thrown off as he walked into the brig and came face to face with his sworn enemy. And him in his hospital gown, no less. Yeah, this was just great.

"Okay, you are the _last_ person I expected to see tonight," Kirk said, trying to maintain his composure, which was proving to be a slightly difficult task, seeing as how the only thing he had on was a dress fashioned from the thinnest fabric known to man. Plus, there was no way that Khan had missed the shocked expression on his face when they had locked eyes.

Khan stood up and walked over to the large transparent window that was separating them, eyes never leaving Kirk's. He had also been stunned to see the Captain walking into the room, but he was much better at hiding his surprise than Kirk was.

"What are you doing out of bed at this hour, Captain?" Khan said, almost teasingly.

Damn. Maybe if Kirk had a voice like _that_, he wouldn't feel as intimidated right now. Wait, what the hell? He wasn't going to let this poncy bastard intimidate him. He was James Tiberius Kirk, Captain of the goddamn Enterprise, for god sakes!

"Well, what are _you_ doing out of your popsicle tube?" Kirk retaliated.

Okay, maybe he was on some kind of strong medication he wasn't aware of. It probably wasn't the best idea for him to continue talking right now.

Khan almost had to laugh at this. Obviously Kirk was not in his proper form at the moment.

"You are welcome," Khan stated.

Kirk's eyebrows rose in confusion, "What are you talking about? I didn't thank you for anything."

"You don't have to. I know you are grateful," Khan said, a knowing look on his face. Oh, this was too much fun. Well worth the wait.

"Listen, I will never… you hear me… NEVER be grateful to you for anything! Got it?" Kirk could feel his face growing hot. Who did this arrogant son of a bitch think he was? If anything, Khan should be thanking _him_ for not killing his ass!

"Tell me, Captain, if I were to slice you open right now, whose blood would come pouring out of the wound?"

Shit, too late. Kirk had fallen right into his trap. So instead of giving him the satisfaction of an answer, he just stood there, staring steadily into Khan's penetrating gaze, refusing to play his game. So what if it _was_ Khan's blood that had brought him back to life? He wasn't required to thank him for it. Hell, Khan probably hadn't even been given a choice… Bones had most likely just held him down and forced it out of him.

Khan could see the wheels churning in the Captain's mind. This was one of the things that Khan had found so intriguing about Kirk. Sure, he was still just a human… prone to bouts of stupidity and short-sightedness like the rest of them… but he could tell there was definitely a strong intelligence and depth behind those eyes. And that intelligence is what had kept him so fascinated with Kirk. He had noticed it the first time he'd seen him… outside of Starfleet headquarters, when he had been trying to kill Admiral Marcus and Kirk had devised a way to destroy his ship. That had been a brilliant move on his part, and Khan had to respect him for it.

"What is it?" Kirk asked, noticing that Khan was grinning to himself about something.

Deciding not to reveal his true thoughts, Khan instead replied, "Is that the new standard issue uniform? I must say, it compliments your eyes quite nicely." He grinned, narrowing his eyes to achieve a more intense focus.

Kirk couldn't help it. He blushed. He. Fucking. Blushed. If he could just go back to being dead, right about now, that would be wonderful.

"I'm leaving," Kirk said, turning around and retreating back to the door he had entered through.

Khan had noticed the blush… and for whatever reason, it had caused a slight, hard jolt to his body. It was almost as if he had been stunned with a phaser. What an odd sensation, indeed.

"Feel free to visit me anytime, Captain," Khan called out to Kirk.

Kirk turned around and gave Khan one last glare. Then, opening the hatch, he walked out of the brig and away from the strangest encounter he had ever had.


	4. Chapter 4

_(I just wanted to thank you guys so much for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! You don't even know how happy they make me! :D I just get the goofiest smile on my face when I'm at work and I open my email... and surprise! Fanfic alerts. ^_^ Um, so yeah, the rating is going to change for the better, just to let you know. There is just waaay too much chemistry between those two for it to stay 'kid safe', lol. Anyway, I'm writing and editing as fast as I can... Thanks again for all the love, guys!)_

The next day, Kirk was drying himself off with a towel as he stepped out of the shower. Ahh, one of the better inventions of his ancestors. What a feeling… hot water running over muscles, soaking into pores, massaging aches and soreness with glorious pressure. He was perfectly tingly all over. How long had it been for him? Oh god, he didn't even want to think about who might have had to bathe him while he was out. Please, let it have been a hot nurse, and not Bones.

Steam followed him out of the bathroom as he stepped back into the main medic room.

"Thought I was gonna have to send a rescue party in after you."

"Jesus, Bones!" Kirk jumped, startled by his friend, quickly wrapping the towel around him.

"Shyness is no use around a doctor, Jim," Bones said, as he pulled out a device from one of the cabinets. "Now bend over."

"What!? Noooo… God, no! WHY?" Kirk asked, slowly backing away while keeping his eye on the thing Bones had in his hand.

"Just kidding," Bones chuckled. "There are clothes in that closet over there."

"You're an asshole, you know it?" Kirk told him, as he walked over to retrieve the garments.

After getting dressed, Kirk went over to sit on the bed so that Bones could do his check up.

"So, you went for a walk last night?" Bones asked Kirk, in the process of scanning the side of his face.

"You knew? And you didn't try to stop me? I'm beginning to wonder if you really care," Kirk pushed out his lip in a mock pout.

Bones shook his head. "You're a grown man, and this isn't a prison cell. If you want to go for a walk… well, it _is_ your ship, isn't it?"

He had a valid point.

"True," Kirk said, as he was made to rotate his arms so Bones could check the joints.

"And, it's just been a mad house here, what with all the injuries and everything. I'm doing good to get two hours of sleep every five days. I keep it up and _I'm_ gonna be the one in a hospital bed. You may have to be _my _doctor." Bones paused for a second and shuddered. That was not a good thought.

Kirk suddenly got serious. He needed to know what all had occurred.

"Bones, tell me what happened," he said, casting off all humor for the moment.

"I'm not going to lie, Jim. It was bad," He said, somberly. "Real bad."

For the next hour Bones explained to him about how Khan had crashed Marcus' ship into downtown San Francisco, killing a significant amount of people. They had had to bring in doctors and medical staff from all over the globe to help tend to the unbelievable mass of injuries. It was going to take years to rebuild. The damage was extensive. The citizens were crying out for answers. Starfleet was organizing a huge investigation into the whole incident… and each one of the Enterprise's crew was going to have to be interviewed.

He also told him about how Spock had chased down Khan and knocked him out. And about how Spock had brought Khan back to the ship, so that Bones could extract his blood for the life saving transfusion.

Kirk's heart was aching after listening to Bones describe the horrible events. So many lives lost. So much destruction. And all because of one man.

"So what did you do with Khan?" Kirk asked, feigning ignorance. He felt bad about pretending not to know Khan's whereabouts, but something told him that his friends wouldn't be very pleased to hear about his late night rendezvous. Innocent as it had been.

"Yeah, well, about that," Bones said, obviously miffed about something. "Khan's being held in the brig."

"On the ship?" Kirk acted surprised. "Why hasn't Starfleet taken him into custody?" He truly _was_ curious about that part.

Bones got up from his seat and began walking around the room, not sure how to broach the subject.

"Here's the thing, Jim. When we beamed Khan onboard he was all kinds of unconscious. It was supposed to be a quick in and out procedure. Me and Spock were just going to go in there, get the blood, and leave. Simple, right? Well, I guess pointy didn't hit him hard enough, because as soon as the needle pierced his arm, he woke up and freaked out on us like we had just set his balls on fire! And I'm sorry, but I'm not going to stand around and wait while some psycho superman decides on the quickest way to kill me."

Kirk shook his head in understanding. "No, don't blame ya…"

"Well, he was pissed, and we were all readying ourselves for one hell of a beating, and then he heard us mention that you were dead. And just like that, he cooperated. Gave me his arm without hesitation."

Kirk was listening intently, trying to take it all in. Confused as ever, but trying to keep a cool head.

"So, I got all the blood I needed and he complied without question. The only thing he requested was that he would get to talk with you as soon as you were healthy enough."

"Why does he want to talk with _me_?" Jim asked, the whole thing feeling beyond bizarre to him.

"Hell if I know. He's criminally insane. I trust him as much as I'd trust a Zaperblog with my firstborn child. Whatever his intentions, they are definitely anything but pure."

"Sooo… let me get this straight," Jim said, working it out in his head. "He's playing nice, so he can talk to me? You already got what you needed from him, right, so I don't understand what he's still doing here?"

Bones sighed. "I'm not sure what kind of effect this procedure is going to have on your body. You were exposed to extreme amounts of radiation and then resurrected with ancient super blood. I can come up with a thousand different hypotheses as to how it might affect you, but that's all it is, Jim. Guesswork. I figure, if something goes majorly wrong with you, I have him on hand to use as a lab rat."

"I see. Well, I guess I need to go talk to him, then," Jim said, not seeing any other option. Plus, he had some things he wanted to say to Khan, as well.

"No, Jim, I don't think that's a good idea right now," Bones said, obviously concerned for his friend. "You're still not…"

Just then, the intercom went off and a crewman came on screen. "Dr. McCoy, you're needed on Deck Nine immediately. A few men from the repair crew down there have passed out from a spoiled bottle of Tonsac. Better bring a towel."

"And now I'm a baby sitter, cleaning up after irresponsible grown-ass kids. Great, just great." Bones continued grumbling, as he went over to the closet to grab some extra towels.

"You just keep relaxing," he turned to Kirk and told him. "You'll need your energy. The rest of the crew will probably want to see you today, so I hope you're up for some company."

Jim smiled like a little boy at this news. Yay, his friends were coming to see him!

xxx

By the end of the day, Kirk was exhausted, yet bursting with an incredible amount of positive energy. He had just said goodbye to the last of his allotted daily visitors… two crewmembers he had never met before, but who he had gotten to know quite well just in the past fifteen minutes… and it was now time for him to lay back and settle in for the night.

The day had been absolutely wonderful. Spock and Uhura had shown up first, followed closely by Sulu and Chekov. They had chatted, laughed, and teased each other... and when they had gotten a look at what the medic bay was providing for Kirk's meals, Sulu and Chekov had rushed out to get him some _real_ food, as they_ weren't going to let their Captain suffer any more than necessary_. Kirk had poured on the gratitude for all their help in dealing with lunatic madmen, and they had been happy to let him know he was worth every bruise, scar, and mental trauma.

Scotty had showed up a little later after the others had left. He had been busy helping with repairs, and hadn't been able to get away any sooner. Kirk apologized profusely to him for punching him in the face, and Scotty was totally cool about it, as long as Kirk agreed to pay for the cosmetic surgery. Not a problem, he'd told him.

After Scotty had left, crewmember after crewmember had continued showing up to visit him, and to let him know how happy they were that he was okay, and to express how much they enjoyed having him as their Captain. Kirk really couldn't have asked for a better crew.

And, even though this whole thing had truly been a great tragedy, he couldn't help but see an underlying beauty in how people seemed to be banding together, more so now than ever, to help each other out. It made his heart swell with pride.

He hadn't seen Carol Marcus today, though. He'd discovered that she was being held for questioning about her father by Starfleet Intelligence. No one was sure when she was going to be released. Nor was anyone sure about when they were supposed to be interviewed. Right now, the general attitude was that of just going with the flow… until they got some sort of orders or directions from Command.

Kirk laid back in his medic bed and smiled. He could feel himself growing sleepier by the second. Part of him wanted to get up and go confront Khan so he could figure out what the man wanted with him, but the other part of him who wanted to drift away into dreamland, seemed to have a much more persuasive argument. Man, what a day.

Tomorrow… tomorrow, he would go find Khan and give him a piece of his mind. Yeah, that bastard won't even know what's coming. Damn him and those damned piercing blue eyes… and that deep, hypnotic, melodious voice. How dare he be all tall, dark, and mysterious, with his strong arms and chest and… Kirk started breathing heavily, his thoughts quickly shutting down for the night.


	5. Chapter 5

Kirk's night had been frustratingly restless, complete with several strange, fragmented dreams which his memory hadn't retained. Now, he was laying there wide awake, staring up at the ceiling, and wishing he was back in his own quarters… in his own bed. His bed was way more comfy than this thing. He sighed and debated on whether or not he should just go ahead and get up. Seize the day, and all that.

Oh that's right, he remembered, he was going to confront Khan today. Yes, he needed to do that. He couldn't just let him get away with killing thousands of people and bringing mass chaos upon his home planet. What kind of Starfleet Captain would he be if he just let that slide? So, why did it feel as if his heart wasn't fully in it?

He tried to push that feeling to the back of his mind while he went into the bathroom to ready himself for the day. After he was cleaned, dressed, and feeling a lot more like an in-charge, powerful, man of action… instead of a weak, medicated, mental patient… he walked over the com screen and checked on the time. Oh shit, it was only four in the morning. Well, at least he wouldn't have to worry about Bones coming to check on him and wondering where he went. He wasn't sure if he wanted anyone knowing about him seeing Khan, just yet.

xxx

Standing outside the entrance to the brig, Kirk was trying hard to concentrate and bring to mind every horrid, despicable act that he had witnessed Khan carry out. Khan had bombed a building full of innocent people, he'd killed Pike, he'd broken Carol's leg and crushed Marcus' skull. He _would've_ killed Kirk and his entire crew, if Spock hadn't of outsmarted him and armed those torpedoes. And he had crashed a damn starship into San Francisco bay… adding even more casualties to his already extensive list.

Fuck yeah, this was working! He was really getting fired up now! That son of a bitch! What the hell made him think he could commit such violent atrocities? Ooh, he would pay… he _had_ to pay!

And then, damn it all, if he didn't hear Khan's voice enter into his mind at that exact moment, saying with conviction, "My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?"

Goddammit! What the hell was he doing in Kirk's head? Get out of there! Kirk needed his rage if he was going to do this whole confrontation thing.

After mentally screaming at Khan's voice to leave his thoughts alone, Kirk was finally ready to face his adversary. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and walked through the door… trying his best to ignore the nervous feeling that had parked itself in his gut.

The security guard was seated at his desk, but at the sight of Kirk he immediately jumped up and saluted. "Captain Kirk, sir."

Kirk nodded and quickly shifted his eyes over to Khan's cell. "At ease, Lieutenant," he told the guard, without even looking at him.

Khan was sitting up in his bed with an open book in his hands. His eyes glanced up from its pages to meet with Kirk's.

Kirk kept his eyes locked on Khan's for longer than was probably necessary. Then, shaking his head, he looked down at the lieutenant and said, "I need to have a talk with the prisoner, if you could please give us a moment."

"Yes, Captain. I'll be outside if you need me."

Once the guard had left, Kirk walked over to stand in front of the window. Bringing his arms behind his back, he raised his eyebrows and waited for Khan to make the first move.

Khan had hoped that Kirk would eventually come back to visit, but he hadn't expected him to return so soon.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Captain?" he drawled, scanning his eyes down Kirk's body, then back up again to meet his eyes.

Kirk involuntarily shivered. Why did it feel as if he were a piece of bate being sized up by a shark?

"I heard you wanted to talk with me," Kirk said. "So, what do you want? And don't play games."

"Games?" Khan asked smoothly. "Tell me, what kind of games do you think I like to play?" He sat his book down to the side, stood up, and walked over to stand in front of Kirk.

"You mean, besides the murdering kind?" Kirk spat out.

Khan's eyes narrowed. He could sense that Kirk was angry and on the defense. And Khan couldn't allow him to be alone in his vehemence. Certainly not, that wouldn't be fair at all.

"Aah yes, let us discuss how much more honorable a person you are than I," Khan said, grinning maliciously. "Go ahead, then, Kirk. Tell me how dreadful I am compared to you."

"You killed thousands of people, Khan!" Kirk said, with as much venom as he could muster.

At that, Khan temporarily forgot about his weird curiosity with the Captain and his face contorted into an ugly scowl.

"Yet, you still have millions of your people left, Captain," Khan growled, his eyes dangerous and penetrating. "You, on the other hand, have effectively managed to kill EACH AND EVERY LAST ONE of my people, so you'll have to forgive me if I contain absolutely no remorse for your loss."

Kirk let out a small gasp and took a step back… not out of fear, but out of pure astonishment. The pain and anguish was unmistakable in Khan's voice, and it enveloped Kirk like a suffocating blast of freezing cold air.

Seeing the hurt in his eyes, Kirk stood there motionless, not knowing how to respond. Obviously, Khan didn't know that his people were still alive. He was still under the impression that they had perished in the torpedo blast.

"Uhh… I have to tell you something," Kirk said, slightly unsure of what he was doing. By now, Kirk's anger had completely deflated.

Khan's expression changed from enraged to neutral when he saw that Kirk was no longer defensive.

"And what is that, Captain?"

It was probably not in the best interest of Kirk's crew… nor his planet… to tell Khan that his people were still alive. Giving him this information had the definite potential to come back and bite Kirk in the ass. There was always the possibility that Khan was manipulating him. And once Khan learned about his crew being alive, he might try to revive them, and then all hell could break loose. As strategic moves went, he was assuredly much better off _not_ telling Khan.

But he couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor guy. Khan believed that he'd lost his entire family. How would Kirk feel if he was in the same situation? Yeah, Kirk would probably want to get revenge… and he would most likely not give a fuck about who he killed in order to get it.

Kirk's head was screaming at him not to tell Khan, but his heart was gently nudging him towards it being the right thing to do. And since Kirk had never really been one to choose logic over feeling, he figured… why start now?

"Your people are still alive, Khan," Kirk told him, sincerely. "Spock took them out of the torpedoes before he let you beam them aboard. They are still in their cryo-tubes, and they are fine."

Kirk wondered if Khan had heard him, because for a moment the man just stood there motionless.

It took Khan a minute to digest the unbelievable news. Could this be true? So… his people were _not_ bits and pieces of frozen flesh, floating around somewhere out there in space? Should he even dare to hope?

Khan searched Kirk's face to see if he was lying. And the openness and honesty he found in Kirk's expression was almost enough to send him to his knees. He placed both hands on the window to steady himself, moving closer to Kirk in the process.

"My family is still alive?" He said, barely above a whisper.

Kirk… without thinking… moved an inch closer to Khan and nodded, his heart catching in his throat.

The look of absolute amazement and joy in Khan's eyes was hard to miss, even though the rest of his face remained rather inexpressive. Kirk could even see the beginnings of tears welling up in them, which caused them to glisten and shine even brighter than normal. And for a split second, Kirk was overcome with an intense urge to wrap his arms around the taller man and hug him close… Yeah, uh, he wasn't quite sure where _that_ desire had come from. But if he was gonna be perfectly honest, he didn't particularly find that thought to be an unpleasant one.

Ahem...

Anyway, as Kirk stood there, watching Khan accept the reality that his family was still around, he couldn't help but wonder if he had just fucked up royally. Only time would tell if he had made the right decision in telling him, or not. Hopefully, fate would take pity on Kirk… like she had seemed so apt to do in the past… and direct the future in Kirk's favor. Well, in both _their_ favors, really. Because, as strange as it seemed, part of him was beginning to think that Khan deserved a break. Oh dear god, what was wrong with him?


	6. Chapter 6

A warm silence had settled itself within the boundaries of the brig. Kirk and Khan stood facing each other, neither man making a sound. Yet, their eyes were speaking volumes.

Kirk had just informed Khan that his crew was still alive. And Khan had been momentarily stunned by the news.

Khan still had a family? That truly was a magnificent surprise. Khan had definitely not been expecting to learn _that_ when he had decided two weeks ago to reside on board the Enterprise.

But as surprising as it had been for Khan to learn about his crew, the thing that had really shocked him the most about the whole situation, was that Kirk had had the decency to tell him about it… even though there was the risk that Khan would use that information against him.

Khan was not used to this kind of civility, especially when it came to humans and their dealings with him. Usually humans were all about playing the upper hand, for fear of Khan's vast intellect and inhuman strength. So why had Kirk done this for him? Was it fearlessness, stupidity, or something else?

"Please do not lie to me, Captain," he told Kirk, his deep, resonant voice slicing through the silence.

Kirk let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "I'm not lying, Khan," he said, serious and unblinking.

Khan took a step back from the window and focused his eyes on Kirk's Starfleet badge.

"Why is it that you are telling me this?" he asked him. "I am most appreciative, but you are an intelligent being. I know you must be aware of the risks involved here."

Kirk started laughing, which made Khan's eyebrows instantly rise in confusion.

"Sorry, it's just… I was wondering the exact same thing!" Kirk smiled openly at Khan, trying to diffuse some of the tension in the room.

Khan was taken back. He couldn't recall ever being on the opposite end of such a brilliant smile. Was Kirk alright? Maybe death had broken him somehow?

"That does not answer my question, though," Khan said, truly curious to know.

Kirk shrugged his shoulders. What could he say, but the truth? "I'm not going to have you believing that your family is dead when I know differently, Khan… that's just not cool. I… I can only imagine how I'd feel if I was in your place."

Khan knew he should be interested in the details of what had happened to his people. Were they going to be placed in storage? Had Starfleet already confiscated them from the ship? Were the cryo-tubes still functioning properly? Yet, his mind was presently preoccupied with a certain blue-eyed Captain who was making his heart pump a little too fast for his liking.

"Khan," Kirk said, with an exhausted sigh. "Bones told me you wanted to talk to me. That's why I came here. To find out what you want from me."

Khan was not precisely sure about how to answer the Captain. Yes, he had wanted to talk with Kirk, but not about anything in particular. He was actually hoping that after seeing Kirk and exchanging a few words with him, his curiosity would disintegrate and he could go back to plotting the demise of Starfleet. But the opposite seemed to be occurring. The more he talked with Kirk, the more intrigued he became, which made him want to talk with him even more.

The only thing Khan could think of that would explain these extraordinarily uncharacteristic feelings he was having, was that he must have contracted some kind of virus on Kronos. Of course, he was genetically engineered to never become sick. But his creators could have made a mistake, right? He _must _be sick… why else would he be exhibiting such odd behavior?

Khan realized Kirk was waiting for him to speak, so he quickly thought up something that might be of interest to Kirk. To tell Kirk about his _true_ motives would have been utterly detrimental to his reputation.

"How have you been feeling, Captain?" Khan asked, keeping his emotions in check.

"Excuse me?" Kirk asked, not understanding what that had to do with anything. Surely Khan hadn't wanted to speak with him because he was concerned about Kirk's well being. Uh, yeah... right. Not likely.

"Any different?" Khan kept going. "My blood has been engineered with certain advanced qualities that when injected into humans may result in an array of different side effects."

"Actually," Kirk said, his curiosity causing him to drop his guard, "I was wondering about that, too. I haven't experienced anything out of the ordinary, but… I really haven't gotten out much. How would I be able to tell?"

"Well, I could perform some tests… to assess whether or not certain abilities of yours have been heightened."

Kirk wasn't sure if he liked the sound of that. It almost felt as if he was talking to Bones, right then.

"You want to experiment on me?" Kirk asked, still slightly untrusting of Khan's motives.

"I am a highly qualified doctor and scientist, Kirk," Khan said. "I believe you would find my _methods_ very simple and noninvasive."

The way Khan had said that last part sent shivers all over Kirk's body. Methods, hmm? What kind of methods? Good lord, Kirk had a dirty mind. And what the fuck was it doing presenting itself in Khan's presence like this? Ugh, no… just no.

"What would you _do_ to me?" Kirk asked... mentally shaking his head. He couldn't help himself.

The way Kirk had asked Khan that question, made something deep inside Khan growl with a primal heat. Khan fought to keep his composure, as he answered him.

"I would like to fight you," Khan said, matter of factly.

Kirk's eyes looked like they were about to explode.

"What?! That sounds _very_ invasive!"

"I wouldn't be trying to hurt you," Khan assured him. "I would be analyzing your abilities and comparing them to the data that I collected from our previous scuffle on Kronos."

Well, that sounded… reasonably logical. If Kirk's strength and reflexes _had_ been magnified at all by Khan's blood, Khan would be the perfect person to notice.

"But how would that work, though?" Kirk asked, not believing that he was even entertaining the idea. "I just inform the crew that I'm releasing a dangerous criminal, so that we can fight it out just to see if I have any superhuman side effects from my resurrection?"

"It was merely a suggestion, Captain," Khan said, nonchalantly.

Kirk looked in at him and passively wondered about what it would be like if the window wasn't separating them. He was unaware that Khan was pondering the same thing.

"Let me think about it," Kirk told him.

Khan nodded. And then, there was a long and awkward pause where they both said nothing. They just stood there, looking at each other… a hint of something forbidden in their eyes.

Kirk cleared his throat and looked down for a second. Then, glancing back up at Khan, he said, "Uh… so, how are they treating you? You comfortable in there?"

Khan grinned. Kirk's stomach did a flip.

"I have no complaints," Khan said.

"Do you like the food?" Kirk asked. "Because if it's the same shit they've been trying to feed _me_, I apologize."

"I would not know," he said. "I have yet to taste it."

Kirk let out a surprise, "Huh?"

"I don't need to eat to sustain my bodily functions, as you do," Khan said, with a sly grin.

Fucking hell, did Khan really have to say 'bodily functions'? Wasn't there a less explicit way to put it? Because by saying that, Khan had managed to bring attention to a certain function that Kirk's body loved to perform, but which had been painfully repressed as of late.

"So, you don't _have_ to eat?" Kirk said, licking his lips without thinking. "But _can _you eat? I mean, if there was something that tasted amazing, could you… you know… eat just for the pleasure of it?"

Khan's eyes had been immediately drawn to Kirk's tongue when it had come out to circle his lips.

"Yes, I can eat for pleasure," Khan told him, his voice sounding slightly raspy. "I rather _enjoy_ eating for pleasure, actually." Khan's pupils grew enormous, making his eyes seem almost black.

Khan's reply had created an immediate tightening in Kirk's pants, which caused Kirk to fly into panic mode. Holy shit, holy shit… he needed to get out of there. His head was cloudy and he could no longer think straight.

"I… I probably need to head back, so Bones doesn't have a hissy fit," Kirk said, slowly walking backwards towards the door.

Khan could tell Kirk was aroused. Khan was aroused, also. It was probably for the best that Kirk left now, so that Khan wouldn't have to break through the window to get at him. Khan let out a long exhale. This little revelation had certainly caught him off guard. Now, how was he supposed to proceed from here?

"Yes," Khan said, with a devious grin. "You don't want Bones to know you're consulting with a hardened criminal."

Kirk's eyes grew wide and he could feel the beginnings of a blush coming on. Oh god, not again.

Without even saying goodbye, Kirk turned around and walked out of the brig.

Kirk was fucked… but not really… goddammit, that was just an expression!


End file.
